Kamal Ghorui
Buoyed by their early success, Rajasthan Royals, winner of the inaugural edition in 2008, will face five-time champions Mumbai Indians in the 13th Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Tuesday.
RR have started their campaign strongly, securing wins in their first two matches. They opened with a commanding victory over the Chennai Super Kings and later achieved a narrow six-run victory against the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
The former champions possess a powerful batting lineup, featuring an aggressive opening pair in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Additionally, skipper Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel provide support in the middle order. Their quick bowlers, led by Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, have also performed well with the new ball.
Mumbai Indians, meanwhile, head into the match after a setback against Delhi Capitals. The five-time champions have had a mixed start, securing a win over Kolkata Knight Riders but struggling with consistency overall.
Currently placed sixth in the table, MI will be eager to bounce back, with captain Hardik Pandya likely to return to the playing XI. The addition of Mitchell Santner strengthens their spin department and provides better balance, enabling the side to field a three-pronged Indian pace attack alongside Trent Boult.
On paper, both teams appear evenly matched, setting the stage for a competitive clash in Guwahati. While Rajasthan will aim to extend their winning run and cement their status as early contenders, Mumbai will be eager to regroup and get their campaign back on track.
Mumbai Indians bowling coach Paras Mhambrey has confirmed that skipper Hardik Pandya will be available for the team’s clash against Rajasthan Royals.
Pandya had missed the previous match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, which MI lost by six wickets, due to illness. He returned to the nets in Guwahati on Sunday night, where he bowled and batted fluently.
“He will be available. He had a good couple of hours of net sessions yesterday, so he is fit and fine. He wasn’t injured, he was unwell, that’s the reason he missed the game,” said Mhambrey in the pre-match press conference.
Pandya’s absence in the last game forced MI to reshuffle their combination, with South African all-rounder Corbin Bosch replacing Trent Boult, while Deepak Chahar also came into the side.
“Well, I think that is something that you will have to take care of. Injuries are something that you can’t control. But I think we got the team, we got enough guys out there to mix and match, and looking at the surface combinations, but I think we got enough guys to kind of look around.
“I think it was just a combination change. Obviously, Hardik gives you the option of a bat and a bowler – the all-rounder. Since he wasn’t available, we needed a kind of replacement who could fill in that role for us. It is purely a tactical decision that we went with,” added Mhambrey.
MI are set to play an IPL game in Guwahati for the first time, and one contest to watch will be how RR batters Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel fare against ace pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
